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Giant Pouched Rat
The giant pouched rats (genus ''Cricetomys'') of sub-Saharan Africa are large muroid rodents. Description Their head and body lengths range from with scaly tails ranging from . They weigh between . Taxonomy Giant pouched rats are only distantly related to the true rats, although until recently they had been placed in the same family, Muridae. Recent molecular studies, however, place them in the family Nesomyidae, part of an ancient radiation of African and Malagasy muroids. The name "pouched rat" refers to their large cheek pouches. The species are: Behaviour Females have been said to be capable of producing up to 10 litters yearly. Gestation is 27–36 days. The animals generally have between six and eight nipples. One to five young are born at a time. The animals are nocturnal omnivores, and feed on vegetation and small animals, especially insects. They have a particular taste for palm nuts. Interaction with humans In many African countries, giant pouched r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emin's Pouched Rat
Emin's pouched rat (''Cricetomys emini''), also known as the African pouched rat, is a large rat of the muroid superfamily. It is related to ''Cricetomys gambianus'', the Gambian pouched rat. Both species belong to '' Cricetomys'', the genus of the giant pouched rats. These animals were introduced into the exotic pet trade, but have been banned by the CDC and FDA after an outbreak of monkeypox. They are easily tamed. Comparison to Gambian pouched rats They are native to Africa and are found along the edges of forests and along the plains. Emin's pouched rats are actually better climbers than their better known Gambian pouched rat cousins. These pouched rats are named for having cheek pouches much like a hamster. Emin's pouched rat and the Gambian pouched rat have a few very noticeable physical differences: *Emin's pouched rats have a distinct line of color difference between their lower abdomen area and upper body. The abdomen is grey/white, whereas their upper body is da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kivu Giant Pouched Rat
The Kivu giant pouched rat (''Cricetomys kivuensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. Taxonomy It was formerly considered conspecific with the Emin's pouched rat (''C. emini'') but is now considered its own species. Distribution It is found in central Africa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop .... References Further reading Cricetomys Rodents of Africa Mammals described in 1917 {{muroid-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodents Of Africa
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are native to all major land masses except for Antarctica, and several oceanic islands, though they have subsequently been introduced to most of these land masses by human activity. Rodents are extremely diverse in their ecology and lifestyles and can be found in almost every terrestrial habitat, including human-made environments. Species can be arboreal, fossorial (burrowing), saltatorial/ricochetal (leaping on their hind legs), or semiaquatic. However, all rodents share several morphological features, including having only a single upper and lower pair of ever-growing incisors. Well-known rodents include mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, beavers, guinea pigs, and hamsters. Once included with rodents, rabbits, hares, and pikas, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willard (2003 Film)
''Willard'' is a 2003 American psychological horror film written and directed by Glen Morgan and starring Crispin Glover, R. Lee Ermey and Laura Elena Harring. It is loosely based on the novel '' Ratman's Notebooks'' by Stephen Gilbert, as well as on the novel's first film adaptation, '' Willard'' (1971), and its sequel, '' Ben'' (1972). It was not billed as a remake by the producers, who chose instead to present it as a reworking of the themes from the original with a stronger focus on suspense. Plot Social misfit Willard Stiles, who cares for his ill and fragile but verbally abusive mother Henrietta in a musty old mansion, is constantly humiliated and mercilessly taunted in front of his co-workers by his vicious and cruel boss, Frank Martin, who took over the Stiles family company after Willard's father Alfred died by suicide in 1995; Frank promised Stiles that Willard would have a job as long as she lived. After discovering and failing to exterminate a growing rat colo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (M. tb), also known as Koch's bacillus, is a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis. First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, ''M. tuberculosis'' has an unusual, waxy coating on its cell surface primarily due to the presence of mycolic acid. This coating makes the cells impervious to Gram staining, and as a result, ''M. tuberculosis'' can appear weakly Gram-positive. Acid-fastness, Acid-fast stains such as Ziehl–Neelsen stain, Ziehl–Neelsen, or Fluorescence, fluorescent stains such as Auramine O, auramine are used instead to identify ''M. tuberculosis'' with a microscope. The physiology of ''M. tuberculosis'' is highly aerobic organism, aerobic and requires high levels of oxygen. Primarily a pathogen of the mammalian respiratory system, it infects the lungs. The most frequently used diagnostic methods for tuberculosis are the Mantoux test, tuberculin skin test, Acid-Fast Stain, aci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in which case it is known as inactive or latent tuberculosis. A small proportion of latent infections progress to active disease that, if left untreated, can be fatal. Typical symptoms of active TB are chronic cough with hemoptysis, blood-containing sputum, mucus, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Infection of other organs can cause a wide range of symptoms. Tuberculosis is Human-to-human transmission, spread from one person to the next Airborne disease, through the air when people who have active TB in their lungs cough, spit, speak, or sneeze. People with latent TB do not spread the disease. A latent infection is more likely to become active in those with weakened I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clicker
A clicker, sometimes called a cricket, is any device that makes a clicking sound, usually when deliberately activated by its user. They usually consist of a piece of thin metal or plastic held in a casing so that the metal is slightly torqued; depressing one end of the metal causes it to pop out of alignment and releasing it causes it to pop back into alignment, each time making a sharp click. With some clickers, the user depresses the metal directly with thumb or finger; with others, a button extends above the surface of the casing so that depressing the button makes the metal click. Social uses *In World War II clickers were used by Allied paratroopers preceding and during Operation Overlord as a way of covertly identifying friend from foe. A soldier would click once and if two clicks were received in return from an unidentifiable soldier then his identification was confirmed. *Clickers are used to provide audible feedback for human students learning using a method calle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
APOPO
APOPO () is a registered Belgian non-governmental organisation and US non-profit which trains southern giant pouched rats and technical survey dogs to detect landmines and tuberculosis.APOPO – Who We Are They call their trained animals 'HeroRATs' and 'HeroDOGs'.APOPO – Training HeroRATs History APOPO started as an R&D organization in in the 1990s, working with the support of research and government grants to develop the concept of Detection Rats Technology. As a pet owner, Bart Weetjens, one of the co-founders, c ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anti-personnel Mine
An anti-personnel mine or anti-personnel landmine (APL) is a form of land mine, mine designed for use against human, humans, as opposed to an anti-tank mine, which target vehicles. APLs are classified into: blast mines and fragmentation mines; the latter may or may not be a bounding mine. APLs are often designed to injure and mutilation, maim, not kill, their victims to overwhelm the logistical (mostly medical) support system of enemy forces that encounter them. Some types of APLs can also damage the tracks on armoured vehicles or the tires of wheeled vehicles. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines has sought to ban mines and destroy stockpile. For this purpose, it introduced in 1997 the Ottawa Treaty, which has not yet been accepted by over 30 states and has not guaranteed the protection of citizens against APLs planted by non-state armed groups. Use Anti-personnel mines are used in a similar manner to anti-tank mines, in static "mine fields" along national borders o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Land Mine
A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, which are designed to disable tanks or other vehicles; and anti-personnel mines, designed to injure or kill people. Land mines are typically pressure activated, exploding automatically when stepped on by a person or driven over by a vehicle, though alternative detonation mechanisms are sometimes used. A land mine may cause damage by direct blast effect, by fragments that are thrown by the blast, or by both. Land mines are typically laid throughout an area, creating a ''minefield'' which is dangerous to cross. The use of land mines is controversial because of their indiscriminate nature and their potential to remain dangerous many years after a conflict has ended, harming civilians and the economy. With pressure from a number of campaign gro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HeroRAT Finds Mine
APOPO () is a registered Belgian non-governmental organisation and US non-profit which trains southern giant pouched rats and technical survey dogs to detect landmines and tuberculosis.APOPO – Who We Are They call their trained animals 'HeroRATs' and 'HeroDOGs'.APOPO – Training HeroRATs History APOPO started as an R&D organization in in the 1990s, working with the support of research and government grants to develop the concept of Detection Rats Technology. As a pet owner, Bart Weetjens, one of the co-founders, ca ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 Midwest Monkeypox Outbreak
An outbreak of human monkeypox (now known as mpox) began in May 2003 in the United States. By July, a total of 71 cases were found in six Midwestern states including Wisconsin (39 cases), Indiana (16), Illinois (12), Kansas (1), Missouri (2), and Ohio (1). The cause of the outbreak was traced to three species of African rodents ( Gambian pouched rat, dormice, rope squirrels) imported from Ghana on April 9, 2003, into the United States by an exotic animal importer in Texas. These were shipped from Texas to an Illinois distributor, who housed them with prairie dogs, which then became infected. The outbreak marked the first time monkeypox infection appeared in the Western Hemisphere. No deaths were reported, and no human-to-human transmission was found. All cases involved direct contact with infected prairie dogs. Electron microscopy and testing by polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to confirm the causative agent was human monkeypox.Centers for Disease ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
